Students Will 'Breakaway' at Robotics Competition

MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109 TELEPHONE 818-354-5011
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov


Contact: Whitney Clavin 818-354-4673
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
Whitney.Clavin@jpl.nasa.gov


Event Tip Sheet: 2010-097B March 24, 2010

Students Will 'Breakaway' at Robotics Competition


WHAT:
Fifty-eight high school teams will compete in the 19th season of the Los Angeles
regional FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology)
Robotics Competition. The event, at the Long Beach Convention Center, is free to
the public.

This year's theme is "Breakaway." The teams will compete on a 27-by-54-foot field
with bumps, attempting to earn points by collecting soccer balls in their goals. An
autonomous period starts each match, with robots controlled by pre-programmed
instructions. The autonomous period is followed by a period in which the drivers
control the robots. The event features alliances of three teams competing against
each other to get the highest score by shooting the most balls into a goal,
maneuvering their robots over towers or platforms, or lifting an alliance robot off the
playing surface. Details and animation are available at:
http://robotics.arc.nasa.gov/events/2010_frcwebcasts.php#animation .

The students designed, built and programmed their robots with the help of engineers
from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in Pasadena, Calif., aerospace and other
companies and higher-education institutions. JPL is mentoring 11 of 58 robotics
teams.

The participants are among the 38,000 students in 1,500 teams from around the
world vying to compete in the FIRST championships April 15 to 17 in Atlanta. The
FIRST Robotics Competition is part of NASA's Robotics Alliance Project, which
aims to expand the number of robotics systems experts available to NASA.

WHO:
Fifty-eight high school teams and their coaches and mentors from California, Florida,
Massachusetts and Chile. See list below.

WHEN:
Friday, March 26
9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Seeding matches

Saturday, March 27
9 a.m.
Opening ceremonies
9:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Seeding matches
1:30- 4:30 p.m.
Final competition rounds
4:30 p.m.
Awards ceremony

WHERE:
Long Beach Convention Center, 300 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach, Calif. 90802
Phone: (562) 436-3636. Competition admission is free. Parking fees apply.

More information on NASA's Robotics Alliance Project is at http://robotics.nasa.gov/
Los Angeles FIRST robotics competition list of participating high schools

* denotes schools mentored by JPL.

1. Mark Keppel High School, Alhambra

2. Anaheim High School, Anaheim

3. Servite Alumni Association, Anaheim

4. Arcadia Unified School District, Arcadia*

5. Arroyo Grande High School, Arroyo Grande

6. Beverly Hills High School, Beverly Hills

7. California Academy of Mathematics & Science, Carson

8. Buchanan High School, Clovis

9. Tower Christian School, Clovis

10. Culver City High School, Culver City

11. El Segundo High School, El Segundo

12. Classical Academy High School, Escondido

13. Dos Pueblos High School, Goleta

14. Granada Hills Charter High School, Granada Hills

15. Centinela Valley Union High School, Hawthorne

16. Hope Chapel Academy High School, Hermosa Beach*

17. City Honors High School, Inglewood

18. Woodbridge High School, Irvine

19. Arnold O. Beckman School, Irvine*

20. La Canada High School, La Canada*

21. Crescenta Valley High School, La Crescenta*

22. Clark Magnet High School, La Crescenta*

23. Lancaster High School and Antelope Valley Union High School District, Lancaster

24. Frazier Mountain High School, Lebec

25. The Archer School for Girls, Los Angeles

26. Foshay Learning Center, Los Angeles*

27. King Drew High School, Los Angeles

28. A & S Youth Organization, Los Angeles

29. Manual Arts High School, Los Angeles

30. Crenshaw High School, Los Angeles

31. Milken Community High School, Los Angeles

32. Loyola High School, Los Angeles

33. Bishop Alemany High School, Mission Hills

34. John Burroughs High School, Los Angeles*

35. Campbell Hall School, North Hollywood

36. North Hollywood High School, North Hollywood

37. John Muir High School, Pasadena*

38. Mira Costa High School, Redondo Beach

39. Reseda High School, Reseda

40. Poly High School, Riverside

41. Palos Verdes Peninsula High School, Rolling Hills Estates

42. San Marino High School, San Marino*

43. Rolling Hills Preparatory School, San Pedro

44. Notre Dame High School, Sherman Oaks

45. West Ranch High School, Hart High School, Academy of the Canyons, Stevenson Ranch*

46. Harvard-Westlake School, Studio City

47. La Reina High School, Thousand Oaks High School, Westlake High School and Newbury Park High School, Thousand Oaks

48. South High School, North High School, West High School and Torrance High School, Torrance

49. Vacaville High School and Solano County Office of Education ROP, Vacaville

50. High Tech-LA High School, Van Nuys

51. Saint Bonaventure High School, Ventura

52. Foothill Technology High School, Ventura

53. Verbum Dei High School, Watts

54. West Covina High School, West Covina

55. Chaminade College Preparatory, West Hills

Florida, Massachusetts and International schools:

56. Rockledge High School, Cocoa Beach High School, Viera High School and School Board of Brevard County, Florida

57. Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science, Massachusetts

58. Region Metropolitana, Santiago, Chile

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